


Like a Siren

by TheEigthPillarGeneral



Series: Black Moon [9]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Family Issues, M/M, Slow Romance, Songwriting, Visual Kei
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 05:39:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14490000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEigthPillarGeneral/pseuds/TheEigthPillarGeneral
Summary: Renji discusses potential future tour plans with the rest of the band while Byakuya is forced to deal with family drama over the phone. However, they both look forward to the evening, when Byakuya is going to play his songs for Renji.





	Like a Siren

**Author's Note:**

  * For [junko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/gifts), [Josey (cestus)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cestus/gifts).



> Here's the new instalment. Here, our boys get even more closer~ Enjoy!

April was already drawing to an end, and the work continued as usual. Renji had been spending time recording and re-recording his parts for the album, as well as helping promote the album through interviews and social media. In addition, his much-anticipated photo shoot was happening next week. In fact, Black Moon was slowly gathering more fans as the days passed by, and Renji couldn’t be more thrilled.

Then the big surprise came during the meeting today, when the members walked in and saw a petite woman with stern eyes sitting next to Yoruichi and reading through a book. When the meeting started, the woman introduced herself as Soi Fon, a booking agent who was going to help them plan their first tour after the album release.

“We’re gonna do a tour already?” Ichigo asked, surprised. “Wait, do we already have that many fans?”

Yoruichi smiled. “Yep,” she said. “You guys are already becoming popular in the scene, and this tour will give a boost to your careers.”

“Which is why I’m here,” Soi Fon said. “I’ve been contacting various venues that are willing to have you play and as it turns out, there are quite a few. So I’ve come to discuss the possible venues for your tour in December.”

As Soi Fon began showing the names of each venue, Renji realized that these weren’t the small nightclubs and concert halls that he used to perform in. Instead, these were convention centers and large halls with capacities over two-thousand people: Orix Theater in Osaka, Sun Plaza Hall in Sendai, Nitori Bunka Hall in Sapporo, among others. These were the venues that Renji and the others had dreamed of performing in one day.

“Wow, we’re going straight to the bigger halls?” Hisagi asked.

“Yes, you are,” Soi Fon said. “Performing in larger venues such as these will help you get more attention on your tour. As for a tour finale, I’ve looked into several possible arenas you could perform in.”

Of course, Tokyo Dome wasn’t on the list, since they weren’t at that level of fame yet. However, places that were on the list included the Nippon Budokan, Yoyogi National Gymnasium, and Yokohama Arena. Those were pretty big venues; not as big as Tokyo Dome or Saitama Super Arena, but they were quite big, with seating capacities for over ten-thousand people.

Hitsugaya was surprised. “Yoyogi? Yokohama? The Budokan?” he asked.

“I’ve always wanted to perform in Yoyogi,” Hisagi said, sounding excited.

“Me too,” Chad agreed.

“Just imagine how awesome that live would be!” Ichigo said.

“It’d be pretty awesome,” Renji said. “Though, I’ve always wanted to do the Budokan after seeing Zaraki Kenpachi there.”

“Well, whichever one you choose, the concert will still be awesome,” Yoruichi encouraged.

They spent the rest of the meeting discussing possible venues with Yoruichi and Soi Fon, who would also discuss the prices and capacities of each location. In addition was the topic of travel time and a budget for accommodations, travel fares, and transporting their equipment. While they didn’t immediately choose their ideal venues, Yoruichi said that they would discuss choosing them in the next few meetings. After all, they had to consider time and money when it came to tours.

Renji knew that. Even when he’d performed in nightclubs with previous bands, they often looked at the offered prices and how long it would take to get there. Then again, he’d only performed in nightclubs in and around Tokyo and Karakura. And these venues were in places like Kagoshima and Fukuoka, so travel was a major thing to be considered.

Nevertheless, Renji was looking forward to planning out the tour. But for now, he had to focus on their recording session today.

* * *

Clenching his fist, Byakuya closed his eyes and tried to count to ten in his mind. He did not want to lose his temper at work but the current situation was making it nearly impossible not to. It’d taken a long time for him to control his hot temper and he was not planning on losing it again.

“Did you hear me, Byakuya?” The voice of his aunt came from the other end of his phone. “I said that your grandmother’s birthday dinner is coming up and she expects all family to come. And that includes you.”

“I heard you, Auntie,” he said calmly, staring out his office window. “But the last time I heard from you, you’d made it clear that I was dead to you, wasn’t I? Why the sudden change in attitude?”

“Because we’re family, of course,” his aunt said, speaking to him as though he were a child. “Family always comes first, no matter what. And besides, it’s been how long since your wife died? Maybe you could try reconnecting with family?”

Indeed, he was both upset and confused. When he first saw the number of his aunt on his phone screen, he’d been bewildered. Byakuya hadn’t spoken to his aunt in several years, especially after she’d said some horrible things to and about Hisana. In fact, that had been when the entire family had attempted to stage ‘an intervention’ to try and get Byakuya to leave Hisana. Instead, that had ended in a nasty fight, with Hisana being reduced to tears by the cruel words of his aunt, grandmother, and uncle, and Byakuya promptly being disowned by a good part of the family.

And now they wanted him to come home for his grandmother’s birthday dinner? Byakuya couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

He took a deep breath before speaking. “Let me get this straight,” he began. “You expect me to come home and play nice with you because Hisana is dead? Even though a lot of you had made it clear that I’d shamed the family name?”

“Surely you’ve changed, Byakuya,” his aunt said. “You were younger when you married that idol, after all. Much more prone to rebellion as well. But you must realize how foolish your actions were now. After all, that woman tore a huge rift in the family; people have been taking sides and fighting over what you did.”

“Hisana didn’t tear a rift in the family,” Byakuya said coolly. “I simply realized that there was really no pleasing some people and cut you out of my life. And besides, weren’t you one of the people who disowned me?”

“Family will always come first before anyone else, Byakuya,” she snapped. “Blood is thicker than water, don’t you know?”

“And the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,” he replied evenly.

“Byakuya.” His aunt sounded impatient. “I’m trying to tell you that I’m willing to forgive and forget, and so is most of the family. Why are you making this difficult?”

“Because the moment you insulted Hisana, you’d already disowned me,” Byakuya said simply. “I have no interest in trying to reconnect a family who is so quick to turn on someone for acting independently. So please, tell my grandmother that I am not coming and I have no desire to attend whatsoever. But also wish her happy birthday from me.”

He could almost feel the glare of his aunt from the other end. “You’re breaking your grandmother’s heart, don’t you know that?” she demanded. “Just like when you married that Hisana! Are you trying to hurt her?”

Byakuya had heard enough from his aunt. “I see no reason to continue this discussion,” he said. “I already gave you my answer, which is a no. Yet you’re ignoring me as always. So let me make this clear. I’m not coming, and I have no plans to come. You cannot make me come, so leave me alone.”

Then his aunt took that tone. The scarily calm tone which meant that she was truly angry. “Your grandmother will be disappointed, Byakuya.”

“Let her be.” And with that, Byakuya ended the call and set his phone upon his desk, his hands shaking with anger.

His phone began vibrating against the desk but Byakuya ignored it. He knew it was his aunt trying to guilt him again and he refused to give her that satisfaction. And besides, he was furious, despite not showing it on his face. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths as he sat down on one of the chairs near the window. Byakuya couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t felt this intensely angry in a long time, not since he’d been disowned by a good part of the family. The nerve of them… to try and reach out as if nothing happened even though they’d hurt both him and Hisana all those years ago, when they’d made it clear what they thought of him. Byakuya was still seething.

Then again, this family had also been quick to insult him for creating his own songs and lyrics. Byakuya bitterly remembered the days when he’d tried to sing one of his songs for the family, only to be criticized and shot down for having such dreams. According to them, a career as a modern pop singer was beneath someone like Byakuya, that he would never be popular forever because ‘fame is temporary’.

He’d felt so ashamed that he quickly suppressed his creativity, desperately wanting their approval. But Hisana had changed everything. She supported him, helped him out with songwriting, and even encouraged him to pursue a career as a singer. And Byakuya had considered it until the scandal had happened and Hisana’s career had been destroyed.

That was when he’d seen the true colours of his family, when they’d tried to have an intervention for him. Now, Byakuya had no regrets about being cut off from most of the family. After all, he was successfully running Senbonzakura Music on his own terms, expanded his horizons, and his creative side was slowly beginning to come back. Meeting Hisana had been the best thing to have happened to him; she’d shone a light upon a stormy sea and helped him realize just how beautiful life was.

Someone quietly knocked on the door before opening it. Byakuya glanced at the door only to see Rukia stepping inside his office. “You okay, Nii-sama?” she asked.

Byakuya shook his head. “My aunt called,” he said.

Rukia winced. “Oh no…” she said. “What happened?”

“She wants me to attend my grandmother’s birthday dinner,” he said. “Because she and the rest of them think I’ve changed now that Hisana is dead.”

Rukia looked disgusted. “Geez… they really have no tact, don’t they?”

“And besides, most of them have disowned me already,” Byakuya said. “Then again, they’d already disowned me the moment they insulted Hisana. None of them have supported me the way she has.”

“Good on you,” Rukia said.

“I’m still furious,” Byakuya told her. “Do you know how hard it was to not lose my temper? They’d hurt Hisana and made her cry back then, and insulted me for having a creative side and being influenced by it. And they expect me to forget about everything they did?” He sighed. “Typical of them.”

“But look on the bright side.” Rukia smiled. “You’re going to show your songs to Renji this evening, and that’ll make things better, right?”

Right. Byakuya had almost forgotten about it. He’d invited Renji to his apartment to play his songs for him in the evening. Just remembering it made his mood a little bit lighter.

“Yes, thank you for reminding me,” Byakuya said.

“I think it’s sweet that Renji wanted to listen to your music,” Rukia said. “He’s always liked helping people with music, especially if they’re trying to get into the music industry. Where he lives, his neighbour has two kids and he’s always encouraged them to develop their musical abilities.”

Indeed, Renji was very encouraging. Byakuya remembered how he’d praised his songwriting and said that he’d looked forward to hearing them.

Abarai Renji… he truly was something else. He was friendly, understanding, and supportive of pretty much everyone. He didn’t judge others, he was very open and accepting of everyone around him, and being around him was enough to make Byakuya want to write more. Yes, Renji was somehow bringing out his creative side from suppression and rekindling his interest in becoming an artist himself.

Byakuya liked that Renji didn’t judge him, and neither did the other artists under his label. Having grown up in a family that scrutinized everything he did and judged him if he was different from them, Byakuya had been initially surprised when he’d met such kind and accepting people in the music industry. People like Matsumoto Rangiku, who was friendly and understanding, and Inoue Orihime, who was so kind and compassionate that it was almost scary. Even Shihouin Yoruichi who, despite teasing him a lot, was friendly towards him. And Rukia, who was the best sister-in-law he could’ve ever asked for. Hell, she was more like a younger sister to him.

“He sounds like a good man,” Byakuya said. “You’re lucky to have someone like him as a friend.”

Rukia smiled. “Yeah,” she said. “Sure, he can be a little bit of a fool sometimes. But he’s still an awesome friend.”

As she left the office, Byakuya made a mental note to practice his songs before Renji came over. He wanted them to be at their very best, after all.

* * *

Evening had come and as promised, Renji had come to Byakuya’s penthouse apartment, which took up the entire floor it was on. Renji didn’t have to wait too long before Byakuya answered the door.

“You came,” Byakuya said, his eyes softening a little. “Please, come in.”

Renji stepped inside and slipped his shoes off as he observed the classy interior of the penthouse apartment. Compared to his own small apartment, this place felt more like a mansion on its own. The windows displayed an impressive view of downtown Karakura, and allowed the evening sun to shine into the building. The place smelled soft and sweet, like honey and vanilla.

“This place is… big,” Renji said.

Realizing what he just said, he mentally kicked himself for stating the obvious. “Er, I mean… your home is really… nice.” Well, that didn’t sound much better either.

However, a slight smile tugged at Byakuya’s lips. “Thank you, Renji,” he said. “I do hope you’re not feeling out of place again?”

“Well, compared to my own apartment, I do feel kinda misplaced here,” Renji admitted sheepishly. “But it’s not so bad.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Byakuya said. “Come.”

He followed Byakuya to the main room, where a grand piano stood by the window. Byakuya approached the nearby shelf and pulled out a few music sheets before placing them on the stand. He then propped the lid of the piano up, moving to the bench to sit down.

Then, much to Byakuya’s surprise, Renji sat down right next to him on the bench. It didn’t help that the bench wasn’t very big, so Renji’s left side was literally touching Byakuya’s right side. Byakuya also noted that Renji smelled really… clean. He had that distinct, smoky fragrance of incense burning, particularly sandalwood and clove incense.

Without realizing, he tensed up a little. Renji noticed this and moved slightly. “Sorry, am I too close?” he asked.

“No, you’re fine,” Byakuya reassured. He quickly sorted through his music sheets, trying to decide which song to play first when he landed on his favourite: a love song he’d dedicated to Hisana, called ‘Kimi he, Oyasumi’.

He’d written this song for Hisana’s birthday about a year after they got married, and it had been Hisana’s most favourite song. Needless to say, the song had a lot of memories to it. But to Byakuya, it was one of his best-written songs and he wanted Renji to hear something he was personally proud of.

Placing the sheets upon the rack, Byakuya then positioned his hands over the keys. He glanced up at the sheet before beginning to play the opening notes, starting out gentle and soft. Then, he began to sing the lyrics of the song, closing his eyes as his hands continued gliding over the keys.

Renji was captivated from the moment Byakuya began singing. Byakuya truly had a beautiful voice: it was serene, soothing, melodious, and even sweet. Since he had a deep voice, it was no surprise that his singing voice was also a little lower. But even then, it wasn’t too low. And Byakuya sang with sincerity and pure, genuine emotion, kind of like how Ichigo sang. Listening to Byakuya sing… it was like listening to a siren’s song: gorgeous, enchanting, and hypnotizing.

The song ended too quickly, at least to Renji. Byakuya let his hands linger on the keys before removing them, also lifting his foot off the pedal. Suddenly feeling a little self-conscious, Byakuya glanced at Renji. “How was it?” he asked calmly.

Renji blinked, broken out of the spell. “You have a beautiful voice,” he said, hushed. “Like, seriously, Kuchiki-san. You’re really good at singing.”

Byakuya’s cheeks felt a little warmer. “Thank you,” he said. He briefly glanced at Renji.

“I wish for you to call me ‘Byakuya’ here,” he said.

Renji nodded, giving him a smile. “Sure, Byakuya,” he said. “But as I was saying, you have a great voice. And you’re great at the piano!”

“What about the song itself?” Byakuya asked.

“It was sweet,” Renji said sincerely. “What’s it called?”

“‘Kimi he, Oyasumi’. I wrote it for Hisana’s birthday shortly after we’d married,” he explained. “I… I’m glad you like it, Renji. To me, this song is one of my best-written ones.”

“Your best-written songs?” Renji asked. “May… May I hear those ones?”

Once more, Byakuya was surprised. However, he was thrilled inside. “Of course,” he said, trying not to betray his eagerness. He sorted through his music sheets before choosing another one and setting it up.

For the next hour and a half, Byakuya sang and played his songs for Renji, who listened attentively to each and every one. It was as if each song was better than the last, and Renji couldn’t get enough of listening to Byakuya sing. But his most favourite songs in particular were ‘Kanade Aragai Kou’, which was a little bit faster, and ‘Sen no Yoru wo Koete’, which was sweet and earnest.

After Byakuya finished playing, Renji decided to offer some feedback. “That ‘Kanade Aragai Kou’ song,” he started. “It sounds a little traditional.”

“It is,” Byakuya said. “I intend for this song to have a shamisen played throughout, and for it to be a fusion of rock and traditional, to be honest. How would that sound?”

“I think it’d sound pretty good,” Renji said. He smiled. “You really should become an artist, Byakuya. You have talent.”

Before Byakuya could say anything, his cellphone began vibrating against the top of the piano. He reached over to check the caller ID when he saw that it was his aunt. Frowning, he put his phone back and ignored the continued vibrating.

Renji looked a little confused. “You’re not picking up?” he asked.

“It’s my aunt,” Byakuya said tersely. “And I’m in no mood to talk to her right now.”

“What happened?” Renji asked.

Byakuya sighed. “She wants me to come for my grandmother’s birthday dinner,” he explained. “However, my aunt is one of the relatives who’d disowned me for marrying Hisana. And now she claims that ‘family is important’, that blood is thicker than water, and that I should come back and be accepted by the family again.” He shook his head. “They just want to sweep everything under the rug and pretend that nothing has happened, that’s all. But I already told her that I’m not attending.”

Renji remembered Rukia telling him how Byakuya had been disowned for marrying Hisana. Coming from a family like Byakuya’s… he couldn’t imagine it. From the bitter tone of Byakuya’s voice, he definitely didn’t have too many fond memories of his family.

“Tell me, Renji,” Byakuya said. “Am I in the wrong for refusing to attend my grandmother’s birthday dinner?”

“No, you’re not,” Renji said immediately, much to Byakuya’s surprise.

Renji continued speaking. “‘Blood is thicker than water’? That’s bullshit. The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb is what’s right.”

A small smile played at Byakuya’s lips. “I told that to my aunt,” he said, getting up and walking over to the window.

“See, I don’t know much about family,” Renji admitted, also getting up before heading to the couch to sit down. “I barely even know my own parents. But I was raised with Rukia and Hisana, so I consider them, Rukia especially, as family. And right now, Black Moon is my family. You shouldn’t be forced to deal with a family that only judges and cares about you only when it suits them.”

Byakuya shook his head. “Unfortunately, it’s not that easy,” he said. “I’ve been raised to forgive and forget, though with more of an emphasis on ‘forget’. Also, I was told that my future had already been planned for me. So when I became interested in songwriting, my family was… less than pleased. The first time I played one of my songs for them, I was scolded for not thinking practically.”

Renji was surprised. “Seriously?” he asked.

“None of them believed that being an artist in modern music was a proper career,” Byakuya said. “They threatened to pull me out of piano lessons if I kept it up, so I had to suppress my songwriting. I loved playing the piano, after all.”

Renji didn’t know what to say. Saying ‘I’m sorry’ would make it seem like he was pitying him, and Byakuya probably wouldn’t appreciate it.

So instead, he just gave him a small smile. “Well, now you can write all the songs you want,” he said. “It’s not like they’ll ever know.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Byakuya agreed, smiling briefly as he looked out the window.

“And if you’re not ready to become a musician, that’s okay,” Renji said. “Take all the time you need. But I gotta ask something.”

Byakuya turned to him. “What is it?”

“One of the tracks on ‘Dark of the Bleeding Moon’ has a piano part,” Renji said. “We’re going to record it soon and instead of having the piano played electronically, I was thinking that we should have someone play the part.”

Again, Byakuya was surprised. “You want me to play the piano for your song?” he asked. “Would… Would that be okay?”

“I’ll run it by the others and see what they have to say,” Renji told him. “I’m sure they’ll say yes, though. I just… want you to show off your skills a little bit.”

Byakuya was thrilled. He didn’t think anyone would be this interested in his own musical talents and abilities but he was glad to have been proven wrong. And seeing someone not only show interest in his music, but also encourage him to make more… it filled him with a warm, yet unfamiliar feeling.

Every time he thought he couldn’t be impressed any further, Renji just kept on proving him wrong.

Byakuya smiled wistfully. “You’re one of the few people to actually encourage me in my music-making, Renji,” he said. “And your interest is… I’m grateful for it.”

Renji gave him a smile. “Don’t thank me,” he said. “Also, next time your family tries to start shit, just tell ‘em to fuck off.” He laughed. “They probably won’t bother you again ‘cause they’ll be too shocked to even speak!”

Byakuya shook his head while chuckling. “Thank you for that advice,” he said before glancing at his watch. “It’s getting a little late.”

“Yeah,” Renji said. “I should get going. Jinta and Ururu are gonna be sad if I don’t come back soon.”

At Byakuya’s curious look, Renji elaborated. “Jinta and Ururu are Urahara-san’s two kids,” he said. “Yeah, Urahara Kisuke lives in the same apartment complex as me. I play futsal with his kids after school every day. Jinta wasn’t too happy that I couldn’t play with him today.”

“What are they like?” Byakuya asked.

“Ururu-chan’s a sweet girl,” Renji said fondly. “Jinta’s a little brat, though. He thinks he’s a tough guy but he’s a lot softer than he looks.” He chuckled. “But don’t tell him that. He’ll just get angry.”

“I suppose you should go then,” Byakuya said, amused. “You wouldn’t want to face his anger, wouldn’t you?”

Renji laughed. “You’re definitely right!” He made his way to the entrance. “Thanks again for showing me your music, Byakuya. I really enjoyed it. Have a good night!”

“You too,” Byakuya said, opening the door for him. “Good night, Renji.”

Renji grabbed his backpack after sliding his shoes on before stepping out.

A while after Renji had left, Byakuya sat on his bed, flipping through his copy of the latest edition of  _ Cure.  _ This month’s edition featured an interview with the members of Black Moon, where they talked a little about themselves and how the album was coming along. Before he even knew it, he felt a fond smile crossing his face as he read, just like when he’d used to read Hisana’s interviews.

Byakuya had never felt so… relieved before. Knowing that there were people who liked his music and wanted to hear his songs made him feel something he hadn’t felt in a long time. And being offered to play a part in recording a song? Byakuya looked forward to it, and hoped that the rest of Black Moon would approve of him playing the piano for this song.

**Author's Note:**

> Nippon Budokan is an arena in Tokyo, with a capacity for 14,471 people. It was built for the Judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. It's also pretty popular for Japanese professional wrestling.
> 
> Yoyogi National Gymnasium is also in Tokyo, and it's famous for its suspension roof design. The first gymnasium has a capacity for 13,291 people. This arena hosted the swimming and diving events for the 1964 Summer Olympics, and will host handball competitions at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
> 
> Yokohama Arena is located in Yokohama, and has a capacity for 17,000 people. It's modelled after the Madison Square Garden arena in New York City.
> 
> The songs mentioned are songs sung by Okiayu Ryotaro, Byakuya's Japanese voice actor. 
> 
> Here's 'Kimi he, Oyasumi' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYHFKsJCMxU). The translation of the lyrics are in the description, and I highly recommend you read them. It's a pretty accurate song about Byakuya and Hisana's love.
> 
> And here's 'Kanade Aragai Kou' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXhcPQxAqDY).
> 
> Let me know how I did :) Have a good one!


End file.
